The Clippers never lead in the second half, but with 2:53 remaining in the game, Corey Maggette sunk a pair from the line to bring the Clips to within three. Needing stops, the Clippers surrendered 11 points over the next four possessions:

Sloan's flex offense --- even more so than the triangle --- results in more blown rotations than any other scheme.

And here comes the Jazz, setting down screens and performing flex cuts and reverals/skip passes like they're running a clinic. Williams brings it up guarded by Shaun Livingston. Okur gives him a high screen on the left wing, and the Clippers trap with Kaman and Shaun, so Williams reverses course. With Utah, the off-ball work never ends. As Williams dribbles right - still way up top - Boozer steps out to give him a screen, allowing Williams to turn the corner. Since Boozer is over twenty feet from the basket, his man, Brand, stays down low and takes Kaman's guy [Okur] in the lane, leaving Kaman high to meet Williams as he makes that turn. Maggette comes over to double Okur off the ball, weak-side mid-post. As Williams penetrates, Brand drops low to take a diving Boozer, leaving Maggette alone on Okur, with Kaman still on the ball. [In other words, who's on Giricek?]. As Williams reaches the paint, he looks for help and finds Okur at the left elbow being covered by a much smaller Maggette. Okur curls around the circle to receive the pass. He realizes --- unlike the Clippers' entire defense and coaching staff ---- that there's no one within ten feet of Giricek. Okur finds him and Giricek hits.

The correct rotation here, I think, would be to have Shaun go out on Giricek after Williams makes that turn. Williams is dribbling into the teeth of the Clippers' interior defense, so I'm not sure what Shaun can possibly do from behind. Where there's a desperate need for a body is between Williams and Giricek. But that realization requires sharp defensive instincts, something the Clippers seem to lack.

At any rate, this is merely an instance of the smarter basketball team winning the possession.

Utah 90, Clippers 84

After Mobley's three gets blocked, and a Livingston non-shooting foul, Williams gets it off the inbound and sets the offense. This is a weird, blink-and-you-miss-it sequence. Boozer sets a high screen for Williams. You can see Kaman watching it develop. The minute Boozer bounces off, Kaman takes a quick step to the ball side, leaving Okur momentarily open on the arc. That's all the Turk needs.

Utah 93, Clippers 84

After a nice, uncomplicated sequence in which Maggette --- being covered [in a manner of speaking] weak-side by Giricek --- cuts to the elbow to receive the ball from Shaun and hits a driving layup, the Jazz bring it up again.
Utah 93, Clippers 86

This time, the Clippers are closely patrolling the perimeter. They cover the Boozer high screen to perfection, so Williams dribbles left and tries it with Okur. Okur has the look, but Thomas --- now in for Kaman --- closes quickly. So Williams gets it back from Okur and they try again, yet another high screen from Okur for Williams [Utah never stops working off the ball. Ever.]. Off the switch, Williams has Thomas on the mismatch, so he drives straight to the hoop, and lays it up no good.

Because Williams blows by Thomas, Brand has to meet Williams at the rim, leaving Boozer to trail for the tip-in.

Utah 95, Clippers 86

Another Mobley miss, this one from short range. The Jazz, though they have the break, slow it up. They intend to chew some clock, but they also can't pass up a perfectly open look:

High screen for Williams from Boozer. Elton takes Boozer as he dives off the screen toward the lane. Unfortunately, Thomas [on Boozer to start the possession], doesn't realize this, because he thinks he's got Williams on the switch. Okay. So if Brand now has Boozer and Thomas thinks he's got Williams, then who's on Okur [Brand's original man]? Nobody, because Livingston --- rightly so --- is still on the ball. Error Tim Thomas.

Okur steps out and hits the wide open three.

Utah 98, Clippers 86

Clipperblog mentioned it during the write-up of the last debacle at Utah, but it warrants mentioning again that Deron Williams was the correct pick for the Jazz at PG. What does Jerry Sloan need from a point guard? Patience, decision-making, and defense. Williams has all three.

The Clippers, by and large, played a solid basketball game, but a trailing visiting team steals an NBA game with defensive execution, with stops. Phoenix, Utah, Dallas, Denver, the Lakers --- these teams show you some graduate level offenses. And the Clippers, 26th in the league in defensive efficiency, aren't going to win basketball games against any quality opponents until they learn how opposing teams space the floor.

Again, this thing that's happening...this awful stench from the garage...it's a defensive problem.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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MD's substitutions baffle once again. Livingston's straight up and down D is a disaster on Williams. Ewing comes in and does a good job. So when the Clips cut it to one, here comes Shaun. Couple that with Kaman (who wants to help on every point guard 25 feet or more from the basket, why?) leaving Memo wide open from 3, and that's that. Why, if Ewing was effective, change with 5 min. to go. And why, when EB gets us back in the game, does he disappear in the last 4 min? Artest, please. Now. Somebody. Help.

MDSr reinserted shaun into the game at precisely the 2:53 mark (where kevin's breakdown begins). this after sitting him in favor of ewing near the tail-end of the 3Q, when the clips were down (i think) 12. i'm probably one of shaun's biggest supporters, and one of ewing's biggest critics. but even i was screaming for MDSr to bench shaun. deron, even more so than the last game, completely owned shaun on both ends of the floor. u could tell from shaun's body language (drooping shoulders, head-shaking after whistles) that he had no confidence whatsoever out there. he couldn't keep deron in front of him on D w/o committing a foul, and that's a big problem when the clips don't know how to rotate/give help on D properly. on O, aside from a couple of nice cuts to the basket for layups and that one sick "behind the back, spin right, left handed floater", shaun forced many bad jumpers (some fading away). ewing did a much nicer job of keeping deron out of the lane, and he didn't do anything foolish to hurt the O. shaun's play disappointed me more than kaman's clumsiness, and that's saying a lot.

Dunleavy was exposed as a coach who buckles under pressure in last years playoff semi finals against the Suns. Every single blog the subject always is the bad substitutions and poor play execution his team does out in the court. I have no doubt in my mind some players are baffled at what he does sometimes during the games. It's his responsibility to prepare his team before games and they just don't respond. It's the same team from last year for Gods sake! and there playing terrible basketball!! I think his team has lost respect for him. And to put the cherry on top. The team signs him on for more years to come. As Clipper fans who has been behind this team for so many years. To get close to the promise land last year. And now to witness this season so far. It just not fair. Give Artest. Somebody!

I've always been suspect of Dunleavy, even last year. His track record through the years tells us that his teams have a habit of folding when the going gets tough. According to Clipper Darrell, who called Lee Klein last night on the radio, Dunleavy does not explain to his players what he wants and expects out of them, he just makes his moves, and Darrell feels that this is disrepectful to the players. I wonder if he might be on to something.